Ancient mammoth fossil found in Odisha village

Fossil found during excavation made for repairing work of a river embankment.

This fossil is to be the oldest of several fossils found in Jajpur district of Odisha, said an eminent historian of the region.

Bhubaneswar: Fossil of a mammoth has been found at Bampu village near Radhanagar under Dharmasala tehesil in Odisha’s Jajpur district.

The fossil is believed to be that of an elephant or an animal of a huge-size that lived at least one lakh year ago.

This fossil is to be the oldest of several fossils found in Jajpur district of Odisha, Dr Nrusingha Charan Sahoo, an eminent historian and researcher, said on Monday. “The animal fossil of which has been found is believed to have existed nearly one lakh years ago on the earth. There needs to be in-depth study to know exactly how old the fossil is and the species of the animal,” said Dr Sahoo.

The fossil was found on Sunday during an excavation made for repairing work of a local Kelua river embankment in the locality. Digging around 35 ft deep, the locals discovered the fossil of a rare animal.

After getting information from the locals, Dr Sahoo, who is the founder of Gajaraj Museum in Dharmasala, rushed to the site and started research on the fossils.

“With the discovery of fossil of an ancient animal, a new chapter has been added to the history of Radhanagar. Government agencies must take the fossil into their custody and place in Jajpur district museum or any other suitable place,” Dr Sahoo told the media.